&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp
About the year 1643, a joint agreement was made by the inhabitants of Sea conk alias Rehoboth, ffor the bringing in of their estates; that soe men's lotments might be taken up according to person and estate, as alsoe for the carrieing on of all publick chardges both for present and future; furthermore the means and interest of what is heare expressed is that by which lands, now granted by the Court of Plymouth to the towne, is to be divided according to person and estate, as is expressed in the following list:

£ - s - d

1.

Mrs. BUR [Ruth INGRAM accepted in her place]

100 - 00 - 00

2.

Widow WALKER

50 - 00 - 00

3.

John READ

300 - 00 - 00

4.

John COOKE which is still in the town's hands

300 - 00 - 00

5.

The Schoolmaster

50 - 00 - 00

6.

Will CHEESBROOK

450 - 00 - 00

7.

Mr. WINCHESTER

195 - 00 - 00

8.

Richard WRIGHT

834 - 00 - 00

9.

Mr. NEWMAN

830 - 00 - 00

10.

Will SMITH

196 - 10 - 00

11.

Walter PALMER

419 - 00 - 00

12.

James CLARK now John PERRUM's

71 - 00 - 00

13.

Ralph SHEPHARD now Jas REDEWAYE's

121 - 10 - 00

14.

Zachariah ROADS

50 - 00 - 00

15.

John MATHEWES

40 - 00 - 00

16.

John PERRUM

67 - 00 - 00

17.

John MILLAR

69 - 10 - 00

18.

Saml. BUTTERWORTH

50 - 00 - 00

19.

George KENDRICK

50 - 00 - 00

20.

Abram MARTIN

60 - 10 - 00

21.

The Teacher

100 - 00 - 00

22.

Edward SEALE

81 - 00 - 00

23.

John BROWNE

50 - 00 - 00

24.

Mr. HOWARD

250 - 00 - 00

25.

Mr. PECK

635 - 00 - 00

26.

Mr. Obed HOMLES now Robt. WHEATON's

100 - 00 - 00

27.

Edward SMITH

252 - 00 - 00

28.

Job LANE now Robert ABELL's

50 - 00 - 00

29.

Thomas HITT

101 - 00 - 00

30.

James WALKER now John FFITCHE's

50 - 00 - 00

31.

Thomas BLYSS

153 - 00 - 00

32.

The Governor's lot now Richard BULLOCK's

200 - 00 - 00

33.

Isaack MARTIN now Thomas WILMONT's

50 - 00 - 00

34.

Robert MORRIS

94 - 10 - 00

35.

Ed. BENNET now Richard BOWEN's Jr.

134 - 00 - 00

36.

The Pastor

100 - 00 - 00

37.

Mr. Henry SMITH

260 - 00 - 00

38.

Mathew PRATT

239 - 00 - 00

39.

John MEGG's

120 - 00 - 00

40.

Thom. CLIFTON now Stephen PAYNE's Jr.

160 - 00 - 00

41.

Joseph TORRY now John PECK's

134 - 00 - 00

42.

Thomas COOPER

367 - 00 - 00

43.

Robert FFULLOR

150 - 00 - 00

44.

John ALLEN

156 - 00 - 00

45.

Ralph ALLEN

270 - 00 - 00

46.

Ed. GILMAN, no Joseph PECK's

306 - 00 - 00

47.

Thomas HOULBROOK

186 - 10 - 00

48.

William CARPENTER

245 - 10 - 00

49.

John HOULBROOK, now Nicholas IDE's

186 - 10 - 00

50.

Robert TITUS, no Robert JONES's

156 - 10 - 00

51.

William SABIN

58 - 00 - 00

52.

Stephen PAYNE

525 - 00 - 00

53.

Mr. BROWNE

600 - 00 - 00

54.

Ed. PATTESON now John WOODCOCK's

50 - 00 - 00

55.

Peter HUNT

327 - 00 - 00

56.

Robert MARTIN

228 - 10 - 00

57

Robert SHARP, but now Rice LEONARD's

106 - 00 - 00

58

Richard BOWEN

270 - 00 - 00

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This action was probably taken before any other division of land was made, unless perhaps it was that assigning house lots. A subsequent meeting of the proprietors was held,the date of which was destroyed in the records, at which it was voted that nine men shoud be chosed to order the general affairs of the plantations; they were givenpower to sell the lands "in lots of twelve, eight, or six acres, as in their discretion they think the quality of the estate of the person do require." This provision applied to the house-lots. Als that no person should sell his improvements "but to such as the town shall accpt of'" also it was voted "that the meeting house shall stand in the midst of said town."

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A town meeting was held in Rehoboth on the 31st of June, 1644, at which lots were drawn for a division of the woodland between the plain and the town. Fifty-eight shares were drawn as follows:

1.

Mr. WINCHESTER

30.

The pastor's

2.

Mr. LEONARD

31.

Stephen PAYNE

3.

Peter HUNT

32.

Edward SMITH

4.

William CHEESBOROUGH

33.

William SMITH

5.

Ralph ALLIN

34.

James CLARK

6.

John HOLBROOK

35.

The Governour

7.

John PERRAM

36.

Edward BENNETT

8.

The schoolmaster

37.

Obadiah HOLMES

9.

Matthew PRATT

38.

Mr. BROWNE

10

William CARPENTER

39.

Thomas COOPER

11.

Ephraim HUNT

40.

Thomas HOLBROOKE

12.

Samuel BUTTERWORTH

41.

Thomas HITT

13.

Edward PATTERSON

42.

John ALLIN

14.

James BROWNE

43.

John MEGGS

15.

Richard BOWIN

44.

William SABIN

16.

Mr. NEWMAN

45.

Mr. Henry SMITH

17.

Mr. PECK

46.

Zachary ROADES

18.

Walter PALMER

47.

Edward GILMAN

19.

Abraham MARTIN

48.

Thomas CLIFTON

20.

John SUTTON

49.

Joseph TORREY

21.

Robert MORRIS

50.

Thomas DUNN

22.

John MATTHEWS

51.

Robert MARTIN

23.

Isaac MARTIN

52.

Widow WALKER

24.

James WALKER

53.

John MILLER

25.

Robert TITUS

54.

Mr. B___ [obliterated]

26.

Edward SEALE

55.

The Teacher

27.

George KENDRICK

56.

John COOKE

28.

[obliterated]

57.

Ralph SHEPHERD

29.

Thomas BLISS

58.

John READ

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Up to July, 1644, there had been three separate allotments of land made in Seekonk, and on the 5th of that month it was ordered that all who had allotments in either of the three divisions "presently to be laid out by Mr. OLIVER and his partner, Joseph FISHER," and who did not pay of the surveys either at Boston or Dedham by the 28th of the following October, should forfeit their lands so laid out. The nine men chosen on the 9th of December, 1644, to direct public affairs wee the following: A'exander WINCHESTER, Richard WRIGHT, Henry SMITH, Edward SMITH, Walter PALMER, William SMITH, Stephen PAYNE, Richard BOWEN, and Robert MARTIN. On the 10th of the succeeding January, at a meeting of the townsmen, it was agreed that eighteen men should forfeit their lands for not fencing them, "or not removing thier families according to a former order." These men were the following: Ralph SHEPHERD, James BROWNE, Mr. LEONARD, The Governor's lot, Matthew PRATT, Thomas DUNN, John MEGGS, Thomas COOPER, John SUTTON, Mr. PECK, Obadiah HOLMES, James WALKER, Edward GILMAN, Thomas HOLBROOKE, John HOLBROOKE, Mr. BROWNE, Edward PATTESON and Ephraim HUNT. Probably these men conformed to the requirements and retained their lands. At the same meeting all those men having lots on the neck ofland were reuired to fence so much as the number of his acres cometh to." by the 15th day of the second month, or pay two shillings for every rod not fenced.

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp
Thus far the inhabitants of this large tract of territory considered themselves residents of Seekonk, and the meetings all bear that date. Though they purchased their land of the Plymouth Colony, yet their compact made when they became inhabitants of Seekonk indicates that they felt a large measure of independence. They were subsequently claimed by both the Plymouth and the Massachusetts Colonies. In 1645 they submitted to the jurisdiction of the Plymouth Court and were incorporated with the name of Rehoboth, which was given by Mr. NEWMAN, the pastor.

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp
Following this important action, the records contain the following list of names with the register of thier lands; many of these have already been mentioned, but there are also manynew ones, who became settlers somewhere in the territory of the towns into which Rehoboth was afterwards divided:

Mr. Alexander WINCHESTER

Robert MORRIS

Thomas HETT

Mr. HOWARD

John MATTHEWES

John ALLIN

Peter HUNT

John FITCH

John MEGGS

William CHESBOROUGH

Robert TITUS

William SABIN

Ralph ALLIN

George KENDRICKE

Henry SMITH

John HOLBROOKE

Robert SHARP

Zachary ROADS

John PERAM

Thomas BLISS

Edward GILMAN, Sr

The Schoolmaster

The Pastor

Thomas CLIFTON

Matthew PRATT

Stephen PAINE

Joseph TORREY

William CARPENTER

Edward SMITH

Widow WALKER

Samuel BUTTERWORTH

James CLARK

Richard INGRAM (now INGRAHAM)

Edward PATTESON

William SMITH

Richard BOWEN

Edward BENNETT

Thomas LORING

Mr. Samuel NEWMAN

Obadiah HOLMES

Ralph SHEPHERD

Mr. PECK

Mr. John BROWNE

John READE

Abraham MARTIN

Thomas COOPER

John MILLER

John SUTTON

Thomas HOLBROOKE

Richard WRIGHT

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp
The date of the registry of Robert FULLER's land was not until 1652.

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp
Meetings of the inhabitants continued to be regularly held and such orders were passed as seemed necessary for the regulation of town affairs. On the 16th of March, 1645, it was agreed "that all the fence in the general field shall be fenced by the 23d of the present month;" a penalty was attached to neglect of this work. On the same day Mr. BROWNE, Stephen PAYNE, Mr. Henry SMITH, Robert MARTIN, Thomas COOPER, William CARPENTER, and Edward SMITH were named as "townsmen" for one yer. On the same day the town was ordered divided into two parts "for the making of foot bridges and the keeping of them, and the highways leading to them to be done by the whole town."

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp
On the 9th of June, 1645, "lots were drawn for the great plain, beginning upon the west side; and he that is first upon the west side shall be last upon the east." Fifty-eight persons drew these lots, who were nearly the same as given in the preceding list of those who drew the original shares. Again on the 18th of February, 1646, another drawing was made "for the new meadow, and to be divided according to person and estate, only those who were under £150 estate to be made up to £150." Forty-six lots were drawn, the list containing the names of Nicholas IDE, Ademia MORRIS, James REDWAIE, Robert ABELL, John DOGGET, that have not appeared before.

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp
Names "of the inhabitants and proprietors of the Towne of Rehoboth having Rights and Titles to the Measuages, Tenements and Lands contained in the quit-claim deed of William BRADFORD to the town of Rehoboth, which hath been reade and allowed in a full Towne Meeting, February the 7th, 1689:"